1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to protective head gear, and more particularly to a helmet that includes an audio media player and a pair of speakers removably mountable on the helmet with locking fastening materials.
2. Description of Related Art
Many sports activities require the wearing of protective helmets, such as bicycling, roller-skating, and similar activities. Such sports activities can be made more enjoyable if the user is able to listen to audio media such as music, audio books, and the like. Many portable audio player devices are available to enable listening to audio media while on the go, including portable radios, tape players, CD players, and MP3 players (e.g., iPod® players).
Listening to these devices may be difficult, however, when wearing a protective helmet. The prior art has therefore devised many helmet systems that enable the user to listen to audio media in conjunction with wearing a helmet.
McCormick, U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,421, for example, teaches a sports helmet with a portable audio player that includes a protective helmet shell that includes speakers built into the helmet adjacent the user's ears. Built in helmet wires extend to the back of the helmet, where a port is built into the helmet to enable an MP3 player to be plugged into the helmet via an extension electrical wire.
A similar system in disclosed in Thompson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,970,691, which teaches a similar sports helmet with built in speakers and a port located at the back of the helmet.
The problem with such systems is that the user is required to buy a specialty helmet with the electronics built in, as well as an extension wire, in order to use his or her MP3 player. This is relatively expensive, and wasteful since the user most likely already owns a helmet.
Planansky, U.S. 2009/0208040, teaches a baseball cap that is adapted to removably mount both the MP3 player and the speakers. However, this cap also requires the purchase of a specially adapted baseball cap, with suitable slots and apertures for mounting the MP3 player and speakers. The above-described references are hereby incorporated by reference in full.
The prior art teaches specialty helmets, caps, and other headgear that is specially manufactured to include or mount speakers and media players. However, the prior art does not teach the use of locking fastening materials to removably mount the audio media player and the pair of speakers on standard helmets, without the need to customize the helmet, cut holes in the cap or helmet, etc. This critical improvement enables a user to continue to use his or her existing helmet, and adapt the existing helmet to removably mount an MP3 player. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.